US must keep ties with Pakistan due to geography, says Rubio in India

NEW DELHI: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in an interview with an Indian media outlet during his three-day visit to India, defended Washington’s decades-old relations with Pakistan. He cited Pakistan’s geographical position as the reason. This is his second official visit to India this year.

Asked about his views on Pakistan as a senator and now as secretary of state, Rubio said it was his responsibility to run American foreign policy. He said this requires engagement even with countries with which there are differences.

He reiterated that the United States opposes terrorism, and those who sponsor it, anywhere in the world. However, he said, maintaining a relationship with Pakistan, a nuclear-armed country, is a necessity for the United States.

Rubio said that, geographically, the United States has to stay in contact with Pakistan. He said this was just as the Indian government maintains ties with Iran and meets its leaders.

According to Geo News, the US secretary of state also claimed that the flow of oil and energy through the straits has reached 80 to 100 per cent of the level before the conflict.